Boardwalk Empire Renewed for Season 4; Gets ‘Sesame Street’ Parody

After its season 3 premiere drew in over 7.2 million viewers, HBO has decided to stay loyal to its prohibition-era mob drama Boardwalk Empire by renewing the Emmy Award-winning series for season 4 – only a few weeks into season 3.

The brainchild of Sopranos writer Terence Winter, Boardwalk Empire stars Steve Buscemi (Reservoir Dogs) as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (based on historical racketeer Enoch L. Johnson), a political figure who rose to fame by seizing control of Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the 1920s and 1930s during the Prohibition-era – via murder, bootlegging and gambling. Eventually Nucky’s guise as a political figure begins to weaken, with his lavish lifestyle and illegal activities catching the eye of the federal government.

Steve Buscemi as the infamous Enoch “Nucky” Thompson

Along with Winter, singer-turned-film star Mark Wahlberg and directorial legend Martin Scorsese serve as executive producers on Boardwalk Empire – with Scorsese directing the pilot episode. Boardwalk Empire marked the first time Scorsese directed an episode of a television series since an episode of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories in 1986.

Michael Lombardo, president of HBO Programming, had this to say on the show’s renewal, via a statement released today:

“Terry Winter, Martin Scorsese and the rest of their outstanding team continue to produce a stunning show that never fails to surprise and entertain. We are excited to bring this unique series back for a fourth season.”

At this year’s Emmy Awards, Boardwalk Empire took home four of the coveted awards in the categories of Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Tim Van Patten); Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series ( a tie with Game of Thrones); Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series; and Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role.

Boardwalk Empire has also recently received another type of honor by being hilariously parodied on the PBS long-running children’s show Sesame Street: ‘Birdwalk Empire’ follows the fowl (get it?) misadventures of Nucky Ducky and his rival, Clucky Luciano.